{"id":327119,"date":"2025-01-27T23:04:31","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T21:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/?p=327119"},"modified":"2025-01-27T23:04:35","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T21:04:35","slug":"wild-west-what-to-expect-from-meta-s-new-moderation-policy-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/wild-west-what-to-expect-from-meta-s-new-moderation-policy-changes","title":{"rendered":"Wild West: What to Expect from Meta’s New Moderation Policy Changes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On January 7th, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, announced<\/a> changes to content moderation policies across all its platforms. The most notable update is switching from a third-party fact-checking program to a system similar to the Community Notes, used by the platform X (formerly known as Twitter). The entrepreneur stated that this decision was caused by his desire to reduce censorship and return to true free speech. Additionally, Zuckerberg plans to lift restrictions on political content introduced in 2021, reintroducing political and activist posts for users who engage actively with such content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On X, users can add notes under posts to highlight inaccuracies or provide additional information. These notes become visible to a wider audience only after being rated by other users. Meta has not yet released the exact details of how this system will operate on its platforms, but based on available information, it is expected to follow a similar logic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXe5AlDCNh832dYjhCNSakA7vamvXs0j1DnlRalIUUW8RqewpL7v1wJzRy-hF8SwlLXOhz6R_1AysRvNy0QEGYmFpMTEdYzNWpnVGxTPq9tx-5wKsmHeotkXdKXG6goMUOjtireS?key=3YyupZ7oGjko4fcW55yPzfqn\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Example of community notes on social network X<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mixed Reactions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company\u2019s new policy has sparked heated debate among both global cybersecurity experts and ordinary users, as large-scale changes to information management algorithms can have significant consequences for the security of the platform\u2019s users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some observers praised the changes. Cenk Uygur, founder of the Young Turks digital news channel, thinks<\/a> that this step could help reduce the influence of the so-called \u201cold media\u201d that, according to his argument, \u201cused fact-checking to suppress information instead of supporting objectivity\u201d. Randy Weber, a Republican Party Representative from Texas, called<\/a> Meta\u2019s policy change a long-awaited opportunity for Americans to \u201cmake their own decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXfhso53Y0hOGRhXYwZ-9ByJDF6D2hP5qdLOd3NLgBjQgDCsrS_q9J4qwL8uS6RKcMY_s_pb_i1UnV8SORLxMQQBIwlGqyNpRBcy5hVYlw0XmtkR-bs5YriPCeGqxprx662B2rVISg?key=3YyupZ7oGjko4fcW55yPzfqn\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Elon Musk also commented on the news, calling the shift in Meta’s moderation policies \u201ccool\u201d in a post from his X account.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, not everyone supported the change. Neil Brown, president of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, criticized<\/a> Zuckerberg for \u201cdemonizing\u201d fact-checking and exaggerating its role in censoring content on Meta platforms. He stated, \u201cFacts are not censorship. Fact-checkers have never censored anything. It\u2019s time to stop using provocative and misleading terminology to describe the role of journalists and fact-checking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maxym Savanevsky, CEO of the communications agency PlusOne, expressed concerns that replacing fact-checking could lead to chaos and sharp societal polarization, especially in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest concern raised by experts is the effectiveness of the community notes system and its capacity to handle the volume of posts generated by Meta\u2019s users. While community notes have the potential to create a more objective and \u201cfree\u201d environment, studies on this approach within X have revealed significant shortcomings. For instance, the approval process for notes is often slow<\/a>, meaning that substantial time can elapse between the spread of potentially false content and its correction by the community. Moreover, valuable notes might not be published due to a lack of consensus among users evaluating them. Valerie Wirtschafter from the Brookings Institution argued<\/a> that launching such a system without prior testing is irresponsible on Meta\u2019s part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Possible Motives Behind Zuckerberg\u2019s Decision<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s motivations for the policy change have also been a topic of debate. While the entrepreneur and his team cite a desire to promote free speech, some experts believe the decision is rooted in pragmatism. Ihor Rozkladay, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Rule of Law, suggested<\/a> that Meta was driven to make these changes due to algorithms, which it uses for content moderation, being overworked. In his opinion, the company relied too much on them, and as the volume of automatically filtered content grew too large, it began to harm the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others link the changes to Donald Trump\u2019s victory in the presidential election. Observers note a sudden improvement<\/a> in relations between Trump and Zuckerberg, which followed earlier threats from Trump to imprison Meta\u2019s CEO if he were to meddle in U.S. elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nu Wexler, a communication policy consultant who has worked with Facebook, Twitter, and Google, offered<\/a> another perspective: \u201cFact-checking on social media works in theory, and platforms trying to implement it deserve more recognition. But such a policy is almost impossible in the current (political) climate, which has become a painful issue for Capitol Hill companies.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXeKTjDW8PCN0vy-IZBjTx_iMJlvapOW9O6wLmt9T8JNj8EIxcOtEtJc6W39e614yvFidMnt-K0vflkUfi4OM4vEEuVSqoE9CfTOsWpaJQMffnv05Owwuqh8kndKnqxtZsPFE9Tzlg?key=3YyupZ7oGjko4fcW55yPzfqn\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg at Donald Trump’s inauguration, January 20, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Risks and Challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever Zuckerberg\u2019s motivations, the decision to abandon the third-party fact-checking program is highly controversial. On one hand, reducing algorithmic moderation could indeed lower the amount of content that is being unfairly \u201ccensored\u201d and create a positive dynamic for accounts unjustly placed in \u201cshadow bans.\u201d This may be particularly beneficial for Ukrainian and pro-Ukrainian organizations and bloggers, who often lose<\/a> visibility due to algorithms flagging their content on the Russia-Ukraine war as \u201cpoliticized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the number of harmful and abusive posts previously filtered out by strict controls could significantly increase. Casey Newton, technology journalist and founder of Platformer<\/em>, shared<\/a> a quote from a former Meta employee: \u201cI can\u2019t overstate how much damage non-illegal but harmful content can do. It\u2019s humiliating, awful content that leads to violence and is created to harm people deliberately.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge is combating AI-generated content. Effectively filtering such material within the new system will heavily depend on users\u2019 ability to identify AI-generated posts. A 2022 online study involving 3,000 participants from the U.S., Germany, and China found<\/a> that participants\u2019 ability to accurately identify AI-generated materials did not exceed 50%. This trend highlights the risks of using AI to manipulate public sentiment and spread disinformation on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The intensification of hybrid aggression on social media is another looming threat. Russian propaganda has been known<\/a> to use bot farms to manipulate public sentiment and engage in political interference. While community notes may reduce unjust censorship caused by algorithmic errors or subjective evaluations of content \u201cbias,\u201d their ability to filter disinformation and propaganda remains questionable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alex Mahadevan, director of MediaWise, a digital literacy initiative at the Poynter Institute, expressed<\/a> concerns about the Community Notes system\u2019s reliance on user consensus. Such a system may not scale effectively for large platforms, and there\u2019s a risk of user groups deliberately manipulating notes to promote specific narratives, regardless of their accuracy or objectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

__<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, while the community notes system has certain advantages, it poses significant risks to the modern digital landscape. The lack of clear crisis management protocols and tools to counter hybrid aggression and AI-generated content raises serious concerns, opening new \u201cdigital doors\u201d for authoritarian regimes and criminal organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Viktoriia Odusanvo<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On January 7th, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, announced changes to content moderation policies across all its platforms. The most notable update is switching from a third-party fact-checking program to a system similar to the Community Notes, used by the platform X (formerly known as Twitter). 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